MONTREAL — A grand total of 210 teen puck-chasers had their names called at the 2014 NHL Draft.

Andrew Mangiapane was not among them.

Now a first-line forward for the Calgary Flames, Mangiapane squirmed in his seat at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for hours and hours but was never summoned to the stage.

“That was definitely upsetting, because I was also at that draft,” Mangiapane recalled. “My agent told me to go to that draft, so I was thinking I was getting selected and all that, and it didn’t end up happening.

“It was probably the hardest in the seventh round, because you’re still there and you’re not getting picked. After the draft, at least you get to go home and it’s done, it’s over with.”

Mangiapane’s climb, of course, was far from over.

“A year later, then I get drafted by Calgary and it takes off, I guess,” said Mangiapane, who wrestled with whether to attend the 2015 NHL Draft in Florida before his family decided to build a vacation around it. “Even when my name got called, it was still shocking. It was just so surreal. And then though, it’s still a lot of work to be put in.”

All that hard work has paid off.

On Monday, as the Flames paid their annual visit to Montreal, Mangiapane ascended to the 100-game plateau at hockey’s highest level.

Not bad for an undersized, overlooked winger who was ignored in that first trip to the NHL Draft, then selected in the sixth round — No. 166 overall — in his second year of eligibility.

Thirty-five graduates of the Class of 2015 have logged more big-league action. Just one, that being Markus Nutivaara of the Columbus Blue Jackets, was picked later than Mangiapane.

“Coming from where I came from, it’s pretty big milestone for me now that I think about it,” Mangaipane said prior to his 100thcareer contest. “Undrafted, then sixth-rounder … Coming up that way, it’s a nice milestone to hit so I’m happy for that. It’s exciting.”

Mangiapane managed to muscle his way into the Flames’ lineup thanks to his speed and his tenacious work on the forechecker.

Now skating alongside Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk on what many consider to be Calgary’s top trio, his skill is showing on a more consistent basis.

The 23-year-old arrived in Montreal with 16 goals and 28 points on his career stat-sheet.

“He’s just been so good away from the puck on a lot of nights,” praised Flames interim coach Geoff Ward. “You know what you’re getting in terms of work ethic, and it’s not going to ever alter. But he has been real good away from the puck, which is where you want to be good as a young player in order to gain confidence and get more minutes. And now, we’re starting to see him marry what he does offensively and what he does defensively.

“I think that transition, where you’re able to match those two parts of your game, for him, it’s coming more easily now. And as a result, he’s become a much more dangerous player.”

As he digested the disappointment of not being called from his seat at the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center, as he proudly pulled a Flaming C jersey over his suit the next summer at BB&T Centre in Florida, this is exactly what Mangiapane was dreaming of.

Now in triple digits in games played, he says the NHL is all it’s cracked up to be.

“It’s just … everything,” Mangiapane said prior to Monday’s clash with the Canadiens. “It’s the lifestyle. Coming to the rink every day, it’s fun, exciting, it’s something new every day. All the guys are like brothers, family, so you get to joke around and mess with each other. And the game itself, you obviously love. Going to all these new places … It’s just everything. Everything is so exciting.

“It’s definitely been great. And I’m excited to keep going. Hopefully, many more to come.”

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